Car coupler



W. KELSO CAR COUPLER Nbv. 27, 1923,

Filed May 10. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 z m n a u w 3 W. KELSO GAR COUPLER Nov. 27, 1923.

Filed May 10, 192i s Sheets-Sheet 2 W. KELSO OAR COUPLER Filed May 10. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 fla v 27, 1923. 1,475, 34

Patented Nov. 2?, l93.

lES

' i 2 ll lll ll WILLIAIVI KIELSQ, OF PITTSBURGH, PEI TNfiYLVANIA, ASSIGNGR "30 THE .MCCONVJAY &

EORLEY COMPANY, SYLVANIA.

0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A GOBPGRATIGN OF PENN- CAR CGUIPLER.

Application filed May 10,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Knnso, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to car couplers of the Master Car Builders? type, and while the features of improved construction hereinafter described and claimed are not limited in application to the particular coupler known as the Master Car Builders standard D-coupler, the principal object of the invention is to perfect and improve the D- coupler so as to render it reliable in service.

In the ill-coupler the outward rotation of the knuckle is restrained by means of a vertically sliding and rearwardly swinging lock which rests upon a horizontally rotatable knuckle opening lever when the parts are in locked position. While this form of coupler is provided with means intended to prevent accidental unlocking of the knuckle, the nature of the parts and their mode of combination in the structure are such that under certain circumstances the lock may accidentally move to an unlocked position. The specific object of the invention is to remedy this defect.

in the drawings, which illustrate my invention as applied to the Master Car Builders standard D-coupler,-

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view 01 the mechanism, the knuckle opening lever sing in plan and a portion of the stem of the coupler being broken away.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 29,, Fig. l, the lock, knuckle opener and knuckle being shown in elevation and the lock being illustrated in the position it is designed to assume when the parts are in locked relation.

Figure 3 is a detail view corresponding to Fig. 2 but illustrating another locked position which the coupler lock may assume in service.

.Figure e is a detail view corresponding to Fig. 3, but illustrating the relative positions assumed by the lock and its actuatingmechanism when the latter is caused to per 1922. Serial no. 559,814.

form the preliminary movement for releasing the lock from the control of the means by which its accidental unlocking is prevented.

Figure 5 is a detail elevation of the lock actuating link.

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the lock actuating link taken at right angles to Fig. 5.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view on the line 7-7 Fig. 2.

in the drawings, 1 indicates the coupler head and 2 is the knuckle pivotally mounted thereon by means of the knuckle pin 8. Outward rotation of the knuckle is restrained by a vertically sliding and rearwardly swinging lock 4 which, when in locked position, is supported upon a horizontally rotatable knuckle opening lever 5 with which the coupler is provided. The upper part of the lock l extends across the path of movement of the tail of the knuckle while its lower portion is fashioned as a depending leg 6 extending downwardlv through an opening 7 in the lower wall (if the coupler head. When the lock l is swung rearwardly after having been elevated suite ciently to permit outward rotation of the knuckle 2, the depending leg 6 presses rearwardly against the adjacent end oi the knuckle opener 5, thereby efiecting a rotation of the latter and a consequent uncoupling rotation of the knuckle.

In the D-coupler the position assumed in service by the lock 4 is controlled by that assumed by the knuckle opening lever 5 and by the extension 18 on the back of the wall forming the face of the coupler head 1. If the knuckle opener is in the position shown in Fig. 1 and all the parts are to exact standarddimensions, the coupler lock 4 when in locked position will occupy the relation to the coupler head illustrated in Fig. 2. The position which the knuckle opener assumes, however, is affected by the lug 19 on the under side of the knuckle 2, as it is this lug which comes into contact with the end of the knuckle opener 5 and causes a rotation of the knuckle opener during a closing rotation of the knuckle. It will be appreciated that the coupling'rotation or" the knuckle may be performed with proper speed to return the knuckle opener to the position shown in Fig.

1, but if the knuckle is rotated slowly inward the end or" the knuckle opener 5 may remain in contact with the lug 19 when the knuckle is fully closed, and should the knuckle be closed very rapidly and violently the knuckle opener may have suliicient momentum inr parted to it to rebound toward the lug 19 oi? the knuckle. lVhen the end of the knuckle opener which is behind the knuckle tail stands away from the adjacent wall 20 of the coupler head, the lock when in locked po sition may occupy the position illustrated in Fig. 3, thereby causing the lock-to-the-look devices with which the standard Ucoupler is provided to shift with respect to each other in a manner resulting in rendering them ineii'ective to perform their intended function of preventing accidental unlocking of the coupler lock The eliect of this possible movement or the knuckle opener is augmented by the necessary working clearances of the parts, by slight though allowable variations in the uimensions ot the coupler head and movable parts of the coupler, and by even a con'iparatively small amount of wear, which latter necessarily increases during the lite oi the coupler. By my improvement this defect in the ill-coupler is overcome and the coupler look i in what ever locked position it may assume is prevented from accidentally moving to un locked position.

'lhe lock 4 's actuated to perform its vertically sliding and rearwardly swinging movements through the instrumentality of a link 8 pivota-lly connected at 9 to a lock actuating lever 10 that is itself pivotally connected at 11 to the under side of the cou pler head in a well known manner. The link 8 is formed at its upper end with a transversely extending pin 12 projecting into an inclined slot 13 with which the depending leg (3 or the lock is furnished at its lower end the said'link thereby being both slidably and rotatably connected to the lock Extending forwardly beyond the pin 12 and preferably adjacent said pin, the link 8 is provided with a shoulder it which may advantageously slope downwardly and forwardly. By so inclining the shoulder 1 the extent of accidental upward movement which the lock 4t may have, before the lock is arrested by the shoulder coming in con tact with the overlying shell or shoulder 15 r the coupler herd, is rendered comparatively slight not only when the depending log 6 of the lock stands in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, but also in case the said leg occupies the locked position shown in Fig. The forward end of the inclined shoulder 14 is preferably slightly beveled or rounded, as at 16, so that durii a normal unlocking operation of the link 8 the inclined shoulder llinay readily clear the inner end of the shelf 15 after the le (3 of the lock has been forced to execute a movement toward the coupler head wall 17 by which the rearward movement of the said leg is limited when the coupler is locked.

To the end that the cam action oi the link 8 upon the shell 15 when the parts are automatically returning to locked position after the coupler has been unlocked shall not be required to enforce such an extended rearward movement or vibration of the lock leg; 6 as might render the locking operation ot the parts unduly sluggish, the inclined shoulder 14loi the link pr rably does not extend forwardly beyonc the pin 12 so tar as to necessitate the leg; 6 assuming its rearmost position in order to permit the upper end or the link to pass between the locking shelf 15 and the wall or lug 17 of the couplcr head.

From an inspection of Figs. :2 and 3 it will be perceived that the li S with its shoulder terms in conjunction with the shoulder 15 oi the coupler head a lock-tothe-lock mechanism which eiiicicntly pie vents accidental unlocking; oi: the coup r in all positions which the lock l may assume when the parts are in coupled relation.

When the lock-acting lever 10 is swung upwardly in the unlocking the coupler the pin 12 at the upper end of the link 8 slides rearward in the inclined slot 13 at the lower end of the leg 6 of the lock and upon reaching the rear end of said slot causes the said leg" to swing toward the stop portion 17 of the coupler head sufiiciently tar to permit shoulder l i to clear the shell 15, prothe rided the lee; 6 is not already in such a rearward position. Upon the shoulder 1 1- of the link thus being withdrawn from beneath the overlying shoulder 15 of the coupler head, the continued upward movement of the lever 10 and link 8 ei'lects an extended unlocking movement of the coupler lock.

1' claim l. in a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, a knuckle, and a vertically sliding and rcarwardly swinging lock for said knuckle, 01' a lever pivoted to the under side ol the coupler head, and a lock-actuating link pivotally connected to said lever and slidably and rotatably connected to said lock, said lock being; provided with a depending leg having an inclined slot therein, said coupler head having a stop portion extc ng behind ,aid leg to limit rearward movement thereof when the lock is in locked position, said link being formed at its upper end with a pin extending: into and movable in the direction oi. length of said slot and also being provided at its upper end with a forwardly and downwardly inclined shoulder, and said coupler head being provided with a shoulder extending over said inclined shoulder in all positions of said link when said depending leg is in its forward position.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, a knuckle, and a verticaliy sliding and rearwardly swinging lock for said knuckle, said lock being provided with a depending leg having an inclined slot therein, and said coupler head having-a stop portion extending behind said leg to limit rearward movement thereof when the lock is in locked position, of a link for actuating said lock, said link being formed at its upper end with a pin extending into and movable in the direction of length of said slot, and also being provided with a shoulder extending forwardly beyond said pin, and said coupler head being provided with a portion extending over said shoulder in all positions of said link when said depending leg is in its forward position.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, a knuckle, and a vertically sliding and rearwardly swinging lock for said knuckle, said lock being provided with a depending leg, of means for actuating said lock, and means cooperating with said lockactuating means and serving, when said depending leg is in its forward position, to prevent upward movement of said lock until after said leg has been moved rearwardly by the normal manual operation or said lockactuating means.

4. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, a knuckle, and a vertically sliding and rearwardly swinging lock for said knuckle, said lock being provided with a depending leg having an inclined slot therein, and said coupler head having a stop portion extending behind said leg to limit rearward movement thereof when the lock is in locked position, of a link adapted to actuate said lock, said link being formed at its upper end with a pin e-Xtendin r into and movable in the direction of length of said slot and having a shoulder extending forwardly beyond said pin, and a shoulder on said coupler head cooperatin with the shoulder of said link when said depending leg is in its forward position to prevent an upward unlocking movement of said lock until after said leg has been moved rearwardly by the normal manual operation of said link.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM KELSO. 

